How to take adoption fees online (and stop chasing payments)
Updated · 6 min read · By the Second Tail team
Take the fee by card, into the rescue's own account, after the application is approved and before the animal goes home, and keep the payment attached to the adopter and the animal. A payment link from a processor works; adoption software that ties the fee to the application and the signed contract works better. Avoid fees landing in volunteers' personal payment apps.
Your options, compared
| Option | Good | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Cash or check at pickup | No fees, familiar. | Handled by whoever does the handoff, easy to lose track of, and no record unless someone writes it down. |
| Personal payment apps | Fast, adopters already have them. | Money often lands in a volunteer's personal account, nothing connects it to the animal, and personal accounts usually aren't meant for organization income. |
| A payment link or donate button | Into the rescue's own account, with receipts. | Not tied to the application, so someone has to match payments to adopters and animals by hand. |
| Adoption software with checkout | Fee, adopter, animal and contract recorded together; only approved adopters can pay. | Usually adds a fee on top of card processing; check who pays it. |
The order that works
- Adopter applies online for a specific animal.
- The rescue reviews and approves, and schedules a meet and greet.
- Adopter signs the adoption contract.
- Adopter pays the fee, with an option to cover card fees and add a donation.
- Receipt goes out automatically, the animal is marked adopted, and it goes home.
Taking payment before approval creates refunds. Taking it after the animal leaves creates chasing. Somewhere between the contract and the handoff is right.
Practical details
- Use the rescue's own account. Business or nonprofit, in the rescue's name, so the money never sits in a volunteer's personal account.
- Let adopters cover the fees. A pre-checked “cover the processing fee” box keeps the full adoption fee for the rescue, and most adopters leave it on.
- Offer a donation. An optional amount at checkout costs you nothing to ask.
- Write the refund policy down. In the contract, not in a text thread.
Where Second Tail fits
Every rescue on Second Tail gets a free public adoption page. Adopters apply on an animal's page, the rescue reviews and schedules meet and greets, and approved adopters pay the adoption fee by card straight into the rescue's own Stripe account, with the option to add a donation. Adopters can sign the rescue's adoption contract at the same checkout.
Adopters can cover the card fees with a “cover the fees” box the rescue can start checked, and rates for online payments are shown in the app before a rescue turns payments on. Connecting payments also turns on the rescue's donate page and fundraisers.
Common questions
What is the best way for a rescue to collect adoption fees?
A card payment that goes into the rescue's own business or nonprofit account and is tied to the approved application, so the money, the adopter and the animal are recorded together. Collect it after approval and before the animal goes home, and send a receipt automatically.
Can a rescue take adoption fees through Venmo or Zelle?
Many small rescues do, but personal payment apps are a poor fit: payments often land in a volunteer's personal account, there is no link to the application or the animal, and personal accounts are generally not meant for business or nonprofit income. If you use one, use a business or nonprofit profile in the rescue's name.
How much does it cost to take adoption fees by card?
Card processors usually charge around 3% of the payment plus a small fixed amount per transaction. Many rescues let the adopter choose to cover those fees at checkout, so the rescue keeps the full adoption fee.
Should the adopter pay before or after signing the adoption contract?
Usually the order is apply, get approved, meet the animal, sign the contract, then pay, all before the animal goes home. Some rescues take payment and signature together in one checkout so neither gets forgotten.
Can adopters add a donation when paying the adoption fee?
Yes, if your payment setup supports it. Offering an optional donation at checkout is one of the easiest ways for a rescue to raise extra money, because the adopter is at their most grateful in that moment.